Seagulls cawed as they flew over the Riverside Pier, a well known tourist destination for anyone coming to Freedom City. A coastal city in the United States. The hometown to a plethora of super-powered beings; most of who were seen as heroes. The presence of heroes in Freedom City made people feel safe, making it an ideal place to live.
Riverside Park was bustling with people, who were either having a picnic, painting, or just enjoying a stroll or jog between the green. Though the tranquility of the park was quickly diminished as the earth began to rumble slightly. Small stones and rocks, which lined the pathways of the park, rolled and lifted into the air. They formed a rickety arch, in which a wooden door appeared. People gathered, some pulling out their phones to record the strange occurance. The door opened to a cascade of purple behind it. Out stepped an extremely pale man wearing what looked to be an old fashioned suit and a long coat. He shielded his eyes from the sun's rays and closed the door behind him. The door faded and the stones returned to their position.
"Get your phones off me." The gentleman said in a thick Irish accent. He looked over to a person who seemed to have been jogging, but had stopped to watch the oddity unfold. "You, the one in the fancy tights. Where am I?"
The man seemed truly perplexed, and tried to understand what was being said. "You're in Freedom City, in the United States."
"Oh. Good. I got it right." He said as he began to wander off.
The crowd parted as he walked through, fearful and unsure of what his intentions were. He had a determined look on his face, as if he was there for a reason. It took him a few minutes of wandering and following signs before he reached the entrance to the park, and the subsequent entry-way to the concrete jungle that was Freedom City. As he meandered through the streets, block after block, he pulled out a small notebook from his jacket pocket and began reading through.
"A rabbit's foot? Need. Peacock feather? No idea how to get that. A bronze hourglass? Need." He listed, trying to find his bearings.
A warm gust of wind passed over him, drying his skin. He covered his eyes as dust and smoke raced in his direction. As it subsided, he looked around. "What the hell?" He exclaimed. He then saw that the fourth floor of a small apartment complex, a couple blocks away, had exploded.
Albion placed his hand on the floor and a small pentagram etched itself into the ground as he muttered an incantation; "Aimbac ardiep a aderam." The stone beneath his had turned into a wooden shaft. As he pulled it out, it took the form of a broomstick. "Ralov." He said as the broomstick began to levitate. He jumped on, and as if doing a balancing act, surfed on top of the broomstick to the epicentre of the smoke.
The blaze could be felt from a block away. Emergency services had started to arrive and instantly began to try and contain the fire. Police cornered off the site. Fire services let out jets of water to try and douse the flames. Ambulances arrived shortly after, and immediately set about collecting people and prioritizing those who were more severely injured.
Albion, floating above, could still hear screams from inside. He left his broomstick hovering outside the fourth floor as he leaped in through one of the smashed windows, where smoke was pouring out. He coughed and sputtered as he landed in the thick, cinder-ridden smog. His eyes were burning as he tried to look around. The screams and wails continued. Albion began to panic as he didn't know who was injured, who was trapped, and who was unconscious. A high-pitched screech pierced his ears, forcing him to cover them. He looked around. Sweat was pouring despite the dry air.
"Hello?" Albion called out. "Where are you? I'm coming to get you!"
A scream echoed through the walls as they peeled back, turning an ashened black. A child sat in the centre of the blaze. But it didn't seem to affect her. She seemed to be crying, but no tears fell. Bouts of flame errupted with every wail.
Albion seemed surprised and unfazed at the same time upon seeing the girl in that way. He crouched down, just beneath the smoke layer and tried to meet her gaze. "What say we get you out of here?" He tried to say in a calming tone.
The girl turned to him in surprise. "I- I didn't mean it! I promise!" She continued to cry, panicking.
"I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you out of here. Now turn off your fire and I'll wrap you in my coat."
"I- I don't know how. I'm scared! Help!" She pleaded.
Albion looked around at the fire, which was growing stronger by the second. "Okay then." He said. "Plan B." He traced some sort of rune into the smoke above him, which lit up into a bright purple. He placed his hand against it, as if it was something solid that he could hold on to. "Aimbac ogeuf a auga!" He declared, lifting the arcane rune high. The smoke and fire filtered out of the building. And through the holes that had been made in the roof, Albion could see the extensive plume of fire and cinder that rose into the sky. As the last of the fire reached the outside, it turned into a cloud of pure black, before letting forth a downpour of cold rain onto the building, dousing whatever cinders were left. Albion looked to the girl, who was completely drenched by the torrential rain. Her flames had gone out, and now she was shivering from the icy water that had fallen. Albion, as promised, took his coat and wrapped it around the little girl. And then, he suddenly heard someone talking over a megaphone.
"Can the hero who extinguished the fire reveal himself to the police for questioning?" The voice sounded less than enthused.
Albion shook his head in annoyance as he picked up the girl. He walked over to the window where his broomsitck was, hopped on and slowly lowered himself and the girl to the ground.
An ambulance crew rushed over and checked if the girl was unharmed. Fire-fighters had set about putting teams together to find more people within. Police struggled to keep the press behind the barriers that had been set up. But it seemed that one of the police, a short yet imposing woman, who was showing her badge prominently cared very little about the heroics that had been on display.
"Out of my way." She ordered the other officers. "You." She pointed at Albion. "You almost hit a chopper with that stunt you pulled! Next time, keep this kind of job to the emergency services!"
"I wasn't aware that you had special units for magical individuals." He looked at her badge. "Detective." He added with a sarcastic tone.
Her face grew red with anger. "What do you mean magical?" She demanded.
"This girl here can produce fire." Albion said, handing the girl off to one of the ambulance staff.
"You mean she's a Super?" The detective asked as the medics took the girl.
"If that's what you want to call her. I thought she was meddling in magic that she shouldn't." Albion noted. "Am I needed for anything else?" He asked with a mild air of boredom.
"I need your name. And a way to get in contact for further questioning." The detective demanded, passing Albion her notepad.
"Wanting my personal details, is it?" He chuckled. "I don't really have a way for you to get in touch with me. But I'll tell you what... I'll meet you on the roof of your presinct at dusk tonight." He said, writing down his name. He passed back the notebook and leaned on his broomstick.
"Albion, Protector of the British Isles? You're a bit far from home, aren't you?" She interrogated.
"A little holiday that I'm giving myself. Nothing too fancy. I just want to see the rest of the world." He smiled. "Anyway. I'll see you tonight. For now, I need to enjoy my time off." And with that, he jumped onto his broomstick and flew away.
Leaving the scene, Albion enjoyed the cool breeze as he soared over Freedom City. Weaving amongst the buildings, he watched as other small-time heroes helped people with day-to-day tasks, be it giving directions, or helping with traffic. It seemed a more than peaceful atmosphere, despite the events of earlier. But, in spite of the peaceful nature of the city, Albion couldn't shake a feeling he had. He had never heard of people spontaneously getting powers, or having them awake in such a way. But he had to put that to the back of his mind, as he had other business to attend.
Passing over Liberty Park, Albion eventually made his way to Lantern Hill. It was more traditional than the skyscrapers of the more modern parts of the city, seeing as it's roots are from the American Revolution. Quaint houses lined winding roads. But there was a place in particular that Albion had been looking for. A church that sat atop one of the smaller hills. He landed on the grounds, garnering the attention of people who were passing by. He wandered through the grounds, into the cementary. He was looking for a grave in particular. After around thirty minutes of wandering and reading, he found the one he was looking for. It was simply marked IX. A small opal was pressed into the stone above the carving. He smirked and pressed down on it. The stone top of the grave pulled back, revealling a set of stairs. He lowered into the darkness and the grave closed above him.
"Ogeuf." He whispered, as a small flame danced around his left hand.
He followed a series of tunnels for several minutes before reaching a thick metal door. He flicked the flame out and knocked on the door nine times. There was a long pause before a voice answered.
"¿Diga?" The voice called out. "Reverend Madeline? Is that you?" The accent was clearly Spanish.
"I'm not of the church that you follow, but I am a friend. Can you let me in? It's important." Albion asked as he waited patiently for the door to open.
"Sorry, I wasn't expecting any guests. Give me a moment." Several locks clunked and clicked as the door was opened. A young man of tanned skin, no older than thirty stood in the doorway, clutching a bible. "Forgive me, but how do you know where I live if you're not of my church?"
"I've worked with your order in the past. And I might need your help with a mission that I find myself on now."
The young man opened the door to it's fullest and allowed Albion entry. Inside was a small room with two beds, a desk, and a crucifix pinned to the wall. The other thing of note was a heavy plate armour, emblazened with the cross on it. Despite the worn nature of the armor, it looked fairly modern. As if it had been upgraded for a more industrialized world. The young man's phone began to ring and Albion was only able to catch his side of the conversation, but it boiled down to the boy saying that the wizard was there already, and that he would like a bit more heads up if there were to be a next time. Though he wasn't speaking in English. Albion judged the sounds and determined it to be Italian. The young man hung up and let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry for the interruption. What is your name? I'm Nueve, like the Roman numerals."
"I'm Albion, of the Order of Albions. I've been sent here by the Ministry of Powers in England because we've determined that there is going to be an incursion of some sort. It's the sort of mission that usually comes under your line of work." He explained.
"Demons?" IX asked. "Where? Here in Freedom City?" He tried to confirm.
"We're not sure if it's demons, but we do know that it's magical in nature. But if I'm going to sort this thing out, I'll need your help."
"I'm not sure if my partner will be okay with me working with you." IX declined. "I'll be able to feed you information. But I'm not sure how my partner would feel fighting alongside you."
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"I'm not sure what the armour is for then..." Albion persisted.
"Albion. No is no. You may accept the help I offer or look somewhere else."
"Okay. Your knowledge of the city will be help enough." He relented. "Do you have any idea where I could start?"
"Not really. This has been sprung on me all of a sudden. I'll need at least a day to go over my sources and see if there has been any activity." IX replied, going over the documents at his desk. "I can offer you a base of operations, but not much more until tomorrow evening."
"All right. Thank you." Albion said, heading for the door. "See what you can dig up." Leaving the room, he returned to the surface. It had now begun to get dark as the sun set itself behind the skyscrapers in the distance. "I hope I'm not wasting my time with this meeting." He said to himself. He grabbed his broomstick and began flying towards the presinct.
A slight wind had began to pick up as Albion flew through the high-rises of the city. It didn't take him long before the presinct was in view, and atop it were a pair of police officers talking to other heroes of the city. Albion was waved down by the detective who tried to question him earlier.
He landed on the roof, hopped off of his broomstick and focused his attention. "I'm sorry I forgot to ask earlier, detective, but what is your name?"
"Detective Jenna Kuller. Anyway, I wanted to question you about the events of today." She responded, holding a coffee in one hand and her notepad in the other.
"So, what would you like to know, Jen?" Albion smirked.
The detective glared at Albion. She put her coffee down on the ledge and pulled out a pen. "We don't have time for your idiocy. The girl you saved earlier. She's gone missing."
"What do you mean? Wasn't she with your people?" The concern in Albion's voice was hard to conceal. The same could be said for the look on his face.
"She disappeared at the hospital. The nurses went to check on her and she was missing. Do you have any idea where she could have gone?" Detective Kuller was ready to take any notes pertaining to the girl.
"I'm not omniscient." Albion protested. A sudden look of realization came over him. "Have you checked the burned building?"
"Yeah. She's not there."
His thought faded. He leaned on the ledge, pensive. "Unless I use a scrying spell, I wouldn't know where to find her."
"Well? Do it then!" The detective demanded.
"There are some things, like incantations, that require alchemical components. And unfortunately for you, I don't have the correct materials on me." Albion was clearly frustrated.
"What do you need? We might have it in lock-up."
"I doubt you have a peacock feather in the same place where you keep the drugs." He said sarcastically.
The detective had a smile curl across her face. "You're in luck today, Super. We have a taxodermied one. I'll file the paperwork later. Follow me." She took her coffee and jogged towards the roof door. She darted down the stairs, precariously balancing her drink as she descended to the floor below. Jenna reached a metal gate with a key-coded lock on the door. She turned around, but Albion wasn't there. "Where the hell have you gone?" She turned back and let out a startled gasp.
Albion stood the other side of the gate, looking around for the peacock in question. "Where abouts did you say it was?"
"How did you-? Teleporter. Of course he's a teleporter." She mumbled to herself as she punched in the numbers to open the door. "It's near the back on the left. I don't see how you can't find it."
Albion looked around some more before he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and pushed in it's direction. "Oh. That one." He muttered.
He plucked a tail feather from it and eyeballed it to make sure it was real. He pressed the patern to his left eye and muttered in a foreign language to himself. During his mumblings he pictured the face of the girl with clarity. Eventually, his vision was taken to some sort of medical institution it seemed. An iron gate sat beneath an arch with the words 'Providence Asylum' on it. His vision moved once more to the grounds just behind the main building. The girl stood with four other children. Looking around he could see that they were standing in a circle. His gaze raised to see a dark figure floating in the middle of the children. The figure turned and seemed to screech before letting out a bout of green fire. Albion pushed the feather away as it burst into flames.
"What happened?" Detective Kuller asked in frustration.
"Where's the asylum? Now!" Albion was furious.
"South-east in Port Regal. What? What's going on?" The detective watched as Albion teleported out of the room. "Damn that man!" She rushed out, over to her desk and dialed. "Get me a squad car! And tell Providence Asylum that something's happening there!"
It took Albion a few minutes of flying as fast as he could to cross the bay over into Port Regal. The asylum quickly came into view. It's countenance loomed over Albion as he flew over the gate, reaching the circle of children. They had all collapsed. Luckily it was soft grass that they were lying on. Albion leaped off of his broomstick and went to check on the girl from his arrival, who was closest to him. He checked her pulse. There was a faint heartbeat. He opened her eyes and found that they were milky white.
"What do you think of my collection, mage?" A menacing voice echoed from behind.
Albion clenched his fist, enraged. "I'm talking to the being who took these girls souls. Give them back, or I swear that you'll face something that even you can't fathom." He gently placed the girl down and faced the entity behind him.
Stood there was a six foot tall, slender gentleman in a suit. A barbed tail flicked behind him, swishing back and forth. "Careful, wizard. I might drop the contents of this box if you startle me with that horrendous way of speaking." He showed a small wooden container that glowed ever so slightly.
"What can I trade for the contents of that box?" Albion asked, pushed by desperation.
"Nothing that you can offer me. Though, my master could use your magical expertise in his experiments." He said as he rubbed his fingers over his bald head.
Albion's posture shifted to intrigue. "Obviously you're not going to tell me where your boss is. But I do have a question. Do all of these girls have powers? Because if they do, you can tell your boss... Ralov ardiep!" He cried, causing a small pillar of rock to errupt from the ground, smashing the gentleman's hand and taking the box high out of reach.
"Damn you, wizard!" The gentleman hissed as his form began to change. Barbs grew across his arms and legs, ripping the suit to pieces. His face elongated into a snout, also covered in spines. His teeth turned to fangs, and his black eyes burned red. "Give me back the box!" It ordered.
"Euqata ed auga!" Albion cast forth five bolts of pressurized water, which darted through the air. Two of them missed their target, but the other three were able to connect, snapping off several barbs with their impact.
The monster screeched as it lunged for Albion. Claws began to elongate from it's fingers, turning into talons. Swiping at him, he connected with Albion's coat as he teleported away.
"That was my favourite coat." Albion groaned. "Soritrevoc ne selamina!" He shouted as a faint dust fell over the demon.
"What is this?" The demon growled. And shortly after, it let out a meek bleat. "What have you-" It bleated for a second time. As from it's barbs, wool began to grow. It's hands and feet became hoofed. Not even a minute had passed before the demon had turned into a weak-minded sheep, which set about grazing the grass.
"I'll never get tired of that spell." Albion chuckled a sigh to himself.
With a flick of his wrist, the pillar lowered. He plucked the box from the rock and stood between the children. With a hopeful sigh, he opened the box, and from it, five globules of light floated before whizzing around him and flying to the children. Each of them took a deep inhalation of breath. Albion couldn't help but look relieved. Torchlight rounded the building as security began to arrive, as did the detective shortly after. She held out her hand and Albion passed her the box.
"Don't open it." He warned. "The girls have their souls back. Open it again and it might yank them away."
He then recieved a swift punch to the face. "If you keep me in the dark on a case like this again, I won't hesitate to lock you up. Am I understood?" It was easy to see that the detective was livid. "Am I understood?"
"Yes, aye, I understand. Was that really necessary?" Albion held his aching cheek.
"What happened? Who took the children?" The detective asked as she tried to organize getting the children to safety.
"It was a demon. Probably a minor one since I was able to turn it into that sheep over there." He said pointing. But the sheep was no longer grazing. It had disappeared, only leaving scorched earth behind. "Oh bugger." He cursed.
"It got away? You're useless!" The detective exploded.
"Oi! I saved the kids. It's you lot who were late." Albion retorted as he went and picked up his coat. "You know what? Sod this. I ain't talking to you if all you're going to do is shout at me. I'll see you tomorrow once you've calmed down." He said, hopping onto his broomstick.
"I despise that man." The detective said to one of the other officers before heading over to the girls.
Albion flew back to Lantern Hill, back to the grave. He knocked on the door and was let in by IX.
"I heard on the news that emergency services were sent to Providence Asylum. Please tell me that was another hero's doing." IX hoped as he closed one of the books on his desk. He sat down in the chair and offered Albion to sit on one of the bunks.
"No, that was me." Albion responded with a grunt. "A demon kidnapped some kids. It said it was working for a master. But I don't know to what end."
"Did you recognize the demon? Or did you get it's name?" IX questioned. "Describe it to me. I might have something in my research."
Albion had to think for a moment to get his descrption right. "Barbed tail, lots of quills across it's body. Long snout and red eyes. Personally, for me, it doesn't narrow anything down."
"Were all of the children girls or mixed?" IX asked.
"Just girls."
"Then the demon is either Frimost himself or, more likely, one of his lessers." IX explained, passing over pages in his different books. "He and his underlings take women to be married off to men who can control them. But if these were just children, then I can't comprehend why he would go after them."
"One of the girls had magic... or... Powers, I guess they're called over here. She could create fire, but lacked control. Could that have anything to do with it?"
"Souls of Supers? That's an interesting thought. Maybe they were readying the bodies for possession. Without a soul it's much easier for demons to take control of a host. No fighting for consciousness." IX explained. "You might be onto something Albion. For now though, I must get back home. My girlfriend will be wondering where I am."
"You have a girlfriend?" Albion was shocked.
"I have a life outside of being an exorcist. I recommend you trying it out too. You might find it works better that way." IX smiled before grabbing a jacket and leaving the room. "I'll see you on Monday. I don't work Sundays."
"Of course you don't." Albion mumbled. "I'll see you Monday!" He shouted up, before the door was closed. "Now what the bloody hell do I do?" He asked himself before leaving the room himself and closing the grave behind him.
IX came running over to him and handed him a small, old fashioned key. "I forgot. This will let you back into the room." He noticed Albion's frustration. "Is it going to be a sleepless night for you?"
"I don't sleep. I never have. - Go on kid. Be on your way. I'm off for a tour of the city." Albion said, grabbing his broomstick. He hopped on and began floating. "I'm glad you have a life outside of this, IX. Very few of us can afford that luxury."
"Good night, Albion. I hope you find what you're looking for." IX said, turning on his heels, as he headed for the graveyard entrance.
"And how do you know I'm looking for something?" Albion pondered.
"There's an expression in Spanish. Tienes una cara seca. It means that you're easy to read." IX said. "Good luck."
Albion waved him off before he lifted into the air and flew high over Freedom City. Several hours pass of him simply looking around before he lands on a rooftop and sits on the ledge. "I have a dry face? What a stupid saying." He whispered. He then pulled out his notebook from his jacket pocket and went over his list again. "Peacock... Oh for god sake!" He slumped as he sat. "I'll ask her tomorrow." He told himself. He watched over the city, unmoving.
Hours passed as he also watched the moon rise and fall, giving way to the morning sun. Throughout the night, he listened to the sounds of the city. Something he wasn't too familiar with. Sirens, shouting and the odd gunshot echoed through the streets, as well a the sounds of other heroes using their powers.
"I suppose a trip to the local library is in order. I need to learn a bit more about this place if I'm to look after it." He said. "Only problem is. I don't know where the library is. So that's out of the picture. Maybe I'll work with that detective for a while. She'll probably know more about the city than I do. Might even change her mind about, so-called, Supers." He smirked, grabbing his broomstick and leaping from the rooftop. "Maybe meeting some more heroes would be a good idea too. Build up some contacts." He told himself as he flew off to the presinct.
Detective Kuller just walked into the building, trying to look awake at such an ungodly hour. She grabbed a cup of coffee and sat over at her desk, going over the case notes from the previous day. Her peers knew to stay away from her until she had, had two or three coffees to wake herself properly. She turned on her computer and waited for it to boot up, sipping on her morning brew.
"Morning detective." An Irish voice said.
She spat out her coffee in surprise and pulled her pistol. Albion raised his hands and smiled.
"Listen, if you're still mad about yesterday, I can come back later." He said with a grin.
"I'll kill you if you do that again." She grimmaced, wiping the coffee from under her nose.
"No you won't. It'd be too much paperwork for you afterwards. - So, are you ready to hear my side of the story?"
"Not until I've had another coffee. It's too early to be working." She growled.
Albion looked like he was doing mental math for a moment before muttering; "Orujnoc." As he pointed at her mug, which filled with coffee once more.
She looked at her mug in disbelief, sat back in her chair and smiled. "So you can be useful." She pulled out a notepad from the drawer in her desk and passed Albion a pen. "Make it legible."
Albion began writing. A few minutes passed before he looked up from the several pages he had written. "I want to help. Do you think you could send any cases that look magical in nature my way?"
"I'd have to inform the captain that you'll be working with us. But as long as you make yourself useful, then he shouldn't have a problem." She said.
"What about you?" Albion was curious.
"I despise you. But I can't knock that you're decent at what you do. So for now, I'll see if the captain is willing. But just know that I am not." She frowned.